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| Kiran Matharu |
English teenager Kiran Matharu is one of the talented youngsters hoping to clinch a maiden tour title this week after coming close in a playoff in Denmark last September.
“I do feel as though I could win at any time,” said the Leeds 18-year-old. “I’m really looking forward to the LEO because I’ve never played at The Oxfordshire before and it’s always nice to play in your own country.” Birmingham’s Felicity Johnson is another youngster aiming for her first tour win on home turf.
Brewerton, the defending champion, has posted three top-ten finishes this year with her season’s best a tie for seventh at the HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open. She said: “It will be nice because defending a tournament makes you feel a little bit different. It will be nice standing on the tee and thinking, “This is mine to keep hold of”.
The Oxfordshire previously hosted the Ladies English Open in 1995 and 1996 and has hosted many championships since, including last year’s Brabazon Trophy, one of the leading events in British amateur golf.
Scotland’s Carly Booth is one of eight amateurs in this week’s field and will demonstrate her skills alongside the women pros. The 16-year-old was the youngest golfer to represent Britain in the recent Curtis Cup and has been hailed as the new face of women’s golf. She will be joined by fellow amateur Sam Round, 22, the local favourite who was given a wild card entry after securing the county championship at The Oxfordshire in April.
